JetBlue extending free Fly-Fi trial

Want free in-flight internet on JetBlue flights? You’re in luck! The company indicated this week that they are extending the free trial period for their Fly-Fi service as they continue to work out kinks in the system. The current pricing plan includes a free option and a $9/hour premium option which supports streaming media and other high-bandwidth applications. That will now continue for the near future.

Speaking about the decision Jamie Perry, JetBlue’s Director of Product Development, noted that there are still some bugs in the system ranging from the satellite connectivity to beam handoff to the portal software on the planes. All of those need to be addressed before it comes out of beta mode and is considered a product for sale to consumers. And even at that time there is no guarantee that free is going away. Company officials have previously suggested that they’d prefer it remain free, possibly via a sponsorship rather than charging passengers for the base service. Of course, that means signing on the right sponsor and working out those details.

When the FlyFi product was originally announced it was only going to be free until the first 30 planes were installed. That deadline was later extended until 30 June 2014. This latest extension puts the next decision point somewhere around Q4 2014.

And, in the meantime, passengers will continue to have access to super-fast connectivity at a price point which is quite hard to argue with.

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• JetBlue’s new in-flight Wifi: Fast and Free*